The present invention relates to a golf ball containing configurable materials, and in particular to a post production modification system and method for changing the attributes of a golf ball containing configurable materials.
Golf balls have undergone significant changes over the years. For example, rubber cores have gradually replaced wound cores because of consistent quality and performance benefits such as reducing of driver spin for longer distance. Other significant changes have also occurred in the cover and dimple patterns on the golf ball.
The design and technology of golf balls has advanced to the point that the United States Golf Association (“USGA”) has instituted a rule prohibiting the use of any golf ball in a USGA-sanctioned event that can achieve an initial velocity of 250 ft/s, when struck by a driver having a velocity of 130 ft/s (referred to hereafter as “the USGA test”.) (The Royal and Ancient Club St. Andrews (“R&A”) has instituted a similar rule for R&A-sanctioned events.) Manufacturers place a great deal of emphasis on producing golf balls that consistently achieve the highest possible velocity in the USGA test without exceeding the limit. Even so, golf balls are available with a range of different attributes, including physical properties and play characteristics, such as spin when struck with a golf club, compression, cover hardness, coefficient of restitution (COR), and initial velocity. Thus, a variety of different balls may be available to meet the needs and desires of a wide range of golfers.
A golfer may use different golf balls having attributes associated with different play characteristics depending on the golfer's preferences. For example, different dimple patterns may affect the aerodynamic properties of the golf ball during flight, or a difference in the hardness may affect the rate of backspin. With regard to hardness in particular, a golfer may choose to use a golf ball having a cover layer and/or a core that is harder or softer. A golf ball having a hard cover layer will generally achieve greater distances but less spin, and so will be better for drives but more difficult to control on shorter shots. On the other hand, a golf ball having a softer cover layer will generally experience more spin and therefore be easier to control, but will lack distance. Similarly, changes to properties of other layers in the golf ball can affect play characteristics.
Presently, golf balls are produced in succinct, discrete stages where a combination of processes and materials are used to attain the desired attributes of the golf ball that is being produced. These attributes, including physical properties and play characteristics such as spin when struck with a golf club, compression, cover hardness, coefficient of restitution (COR), and initial velocity, are attained through construction and materials used in the manufacture of the golf ball. Once the golf ball is manufactured, the attributes of the golf ball are set and there is typically no later change in the physical properties of the material using in the manufacture of the golf ball, aside from property degradation caused by weathering, moisture absorption, polymer degradation, and other environmental and aging factors.
Accordingly, a number of different golf ball materials are mixed and matched in various combinations and arrangements to create golf balls having different attributes to provide golfers with a variety of choices to meet their needs. However, designing multiple golf balls to achieve desired attributes suffers from at least several difficulties. Generally, the construction of known golf balls requires that a wide range of design variables such as layer arrangement, materials used in each layer, and layer thickness be changed to provide the various golf balls having different attributes.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system and method for providing a golf ball with configurable materials that is capable of being modified to have different attributes, including physical properties and/or play characteristics.